New Research and Publications

  • Ashraf, Muhammad Hasan,  Abhay K. Grover,  Greg Ogiba, and  Mehmet G. Yalcin.  2025. “ Developing Cultural Awareness Competencies in Purchasing and Supply Management Education.” Transportation Journal  64(1): e12034. https://doi.org/10.1002/tjo3.12034Abstract: This paper examines the evolving demands of purchasing and supply management (PSM) education, especially in addressing topics that have gained prominence in global supply chains. One such topic is cultural awareness. However, despite its critical relevance in today’s global landscape, the topic is often underrepresented in PSM curricula. This gap is further compounded by the unique learning preferences of Generation-Z, who are less inclined toward traditional “reading and writing” methods, presenting additional challenges for educators in teaching such complex topics. This underscores the need for innovative teaching strategies that engage students and improve knowledge retention. We propose employing an Entertainment-Education approach by integrating movies into PSM courses. We describe a specifically tailored activity for a PSM course that includes a movie available on an over-the-top platform implemented at two state universities in the United States. The outcomes from both universities offer evidence supporting the development of cultural understanding within the PSM domain among the students. Although numerous studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of movies as educational tools, our research is one of the first within the PSM domain to investigate their potential for cultivating cultural awareness, thereby paving the way for further research into the role of movies in PSM education.
  • Ashraf, M. H., Özpolat, K., Yalcin, M.G., Shah, P., 2025, “A Project-Based Learning Approach to Supply Chain Mapping Education” The International Journal of Management Education, 23(2), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2024.101128Abstract: Although recent disruptions have revealed the importance of supply chain mapping, there is a lack of academic content in this domain. This is evident because supply chain management textbooks and pedagogical articles offer limited practical guidance on developing supply chain maps. Neither do Harvard Business Publishing and the Case Center cases. The main reason for this scarcity is the challenge of integrating supply chain mapping into the course curriculum. To address this and enrich academic content, we introduce a Supply Chain Mapping Project based on a Project-Based Learning approach to instruct undergraduate business students in fundamental mapping skills and raise awareness of the complexities involved in producing high-quality maps. The project is implemented in two upper-level undergraduate courses. The project’s effectiveness is assessed through the post-project survey responses. Results indicate that students were actively engaged throughout the project. Similarly, survey results from one of the similar courses offered in the subsequent semester validate the effectiveness of the project. Given the rising demand for supply chain talent within the management domain, this project will enhance the management/supply chain management curricula at business schools. The benefits and challenges of the proposed approach are discussed in the paper.

     

  • Ashraf, M.H., Triki, A. and Yalcin, M.G. (2024), “Logistics digitalization and the third-party logistics blue-collar employees performance: the role of paradoxical leader behavior”, The International Journal of Logistics Management, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJLM-03-2024-0194Abstract: This study examines the impact of third-party logistics (3PL) supervisors’ paradoxical leader behavior (PLB) on the relationship between logistics digitalization and 3PL blue-collar employee performance. 3PLs often lag in digitalization due to blue-collar employees struggling with learning paradoxes, i.e. the tension between abandoning the known methods in favor of new ones. In such situations, 3PL supervisors play a crucial role in helping their subordinates manage these tensions. By incorporating a paradox theory lens, we propose that 3PL supervisors’ PLB acts as a supportive tool, motivating blue-collar employees to address learning paradoxes, thereby improving their operational performance.
  • Ashraf, M.H., Yalcin, M.G. and Hos, R. (2024), “Reconceptualizing supply chain flows (SCFLOWS)”, The International Journal of Logistics Management, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJLM-03-2024-0180

    Abstract:     Despite being a fundamental concept, the field of supply chain management (SCM) exhibits a significant lack of consensus regarding the definition of supply chain flows (SCFLOWS). Additionally, there has been an over-reliance on three flows – material, information and finance – while various other flows crucial to SCM performance have been overlooked. Hence, the purpose of this study is twofold: (1) to explore the multi-dimensional nature of SCFLOWS and (2) to identify additional flows beyond the commonly acknowledged ones that are vital for SCM performance.
  • Bae, S. H., Saberi, S., Kouhizadeh, M., & Sarkis, J. (2025). Examining blockchain’s role in supply chain finance structure and governance. International Review of Financial Analysis, 103955. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.irfa.2025.103955

    Abstract:     Can innovative technologies address the challenge of information asymmetry that has long plagued the financial services industry? This study investigates a three-tier supply chain model, consisting of a core buyer firm, suppliers, and sub-suppliers. It explores the impact of blockchain-enabled financing (BF) on the supply chain finance’s structure and governance. Utilizing a circular city model, this study examines the number of suppliers and sub-supplier selection between BF and advance payment supply chain finance policies. BF provides significant benefits, including enhanced security, reduced fraud risk, and the use of smart contracts, which together facilitate secure, verifiable, and efficient real-time information exchange. These advantages reduce information asymmetry and verification costs, leading to more efficient supply chain operations, especially in a principal-agent scenario where the core firm delegates financial responsibilities to suppliers. The study finds BF reduces disruptions due to sub-supplier moral hazard and improves buyer firm and sub-supplier interests. It does not benefit intermediary suppliers. Additionally, a decrease in BF information verification costs allows the buyer firm to contract with fewer suppliers, leading to varied impacts on the profitability of supply chain members and significant implications for overall supply chain structure and governance.
  • Lee, J. (2025). Employee benefit programs and corporate social responsibility: the impacts of flexibility- and stability-enhancing programs. International Review of Applied Economics, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/02692171.2025.2453179 (ABDC B)Abstract: Research on the spillover effects of employee benefit programs (EBPs) has focused on employees’ engagement in activities outside the firm. This study extends this research stream by proposing that employees who benefit from EBPs also contribute to firms’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts aimed at customers, a primary external stakeholder group. This study proposes two mechanisms, flexibility and stability, that enhance the link between EBPs and CSR engagement. Specifically, this study conceptually categorises firms’ profit-sharing programs as flexibility-enhancing EBPs and employee stock ownership and employee stock purchase plans as stability-enhancing ones. The empirical analyses of U.S. companies listed on the S&P500 show that flexibility-enhancing EBPs are positively associated with customer-focused CSR, especially product quality and safety. Moreover, both EBP types significantly enhance comprehensive customer-focused CSR. These findings have implications for understanding how a firm’s EBPs, such as profit-sharing and employee stock ownership, are associated with its CSR engagements.
  • Hashmi, N., Worthington III, C. S., Bal, A. S., Weidner, K., & Ottley, G. (2024). Too woke or not too woke, that is the question: Brand responses to culture wars. Business Horizons. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2024.10.011 
     
    Abstract: Culture wars are conflicts between two groups with polarized beliefs about politics and other cultural phenomena. Of late, culture wars have moved to brands, marketing, and corporate activism. In modern brand culture wars, opposing groups will assemble on social media with the express purpose of either damaging a brand’s value or defending brands. Brands are then left in the precarious situation of navigating between two powerful factions in determining strategy moving forward. This manuscript explores the relationship between brand communities and corporate brands, addressing culture wars on a variety of hot-button topics. We scraped data from X—formerly known as Twitter—to analyze the impact of culture wars on social media behavior and sentiment. Drawing from the analysis of the data from X, as well as an examination of extant literature, we then propose a typology and offer a decision tree to guide brands dealing with culture wars levied at their corporations.
  • Chen Zhang*, Tingting Zhao*, Hakan Saraoglu, David Louton. 2025 “A Benchmark Comparison of a Domain-Focused Pipeline with ChatGPT”; Journal of Computer Information Systems; Published online: 01/14/2025 (* indicates equally contributed first authors). https://doi.org/10.1080/08874417.2024.2446629 [ABDC: A; SJR: Q1]Abstract: This paper presents a framework for generating domain-specific questions and retrieving answers from a target-domain text corpus. The approach involves fine-tuning a model to deliver concise answers tailored to mutual funds in finance. Using open-source tools and datasets, the proposed pipeline achieves accuracy levels comparable to ChatGPT, while offering key advantages such as customizable domain-specific corpora, reduced training time, and lower costs. Benchmarking results highlight its effectiveness and potential as a cost-efficient alternative for domain-focused question answering.
  • Vishal Sarsani, Berent Aldikacti, Tingting Zhao, Shai He, Peter Chien, Patrick Flaherty. Published online: 01/13/2025. “Discovering genetic modulators of the protein homeostasis system through multilevel analysis”; PNAS Nexus; Volume 4, Issue 1, 01/2025; https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae574Abstract: Every protein progresses through a natural lifecycle from birth to maturation to death; this process is coordinated by the protein homeostasis system. Environmental or physiological conditions trigger pathways that maintain the homeostasis of the proteome. An open question is how these pathways are modulated to respond to the many stresses that an organism encounters during its lifetime. To address this question, we tested how the fitness landscape changes in response to environmental and genetic perturbations using directed and massively parallel transposon mutagenesis in Caulobacter crescentus. We developed a general computational pipeline for the analysis of gene-by-environment interactions in transposon mutagenesis experiments. This pipeline uses a combination of general linear models, statistical knockoffs, and a nonparametric Bayesian statistical model to identify essential genetic network components that are shared across environmental perturbations. This analysis allows us to quantify the similarity of proteotoxic environmental perturbations from the perspective of the fitness landscape. We find that essential genes vary more by genetic background than by environmental conditions, with limited overlap among mutant strains targeting different facets of the protein homeostasis system. We also identified 146 unique fitness determinants across different strains, with 19 genes common to at least two strains, showing varying resilience to proteotoxic stresses. Experiments exposing cells to a combination of genetic perturbations and dual environmental stressors show that perturbations that are quantitatively dissimilar from the perspective of the fitness landscape are likely to have a synergistic effect on the growth defect.
  • Dubois, Derek (2024), “Sneakerheads for Trump: information flows in the online news media,” Online Information Review, https://doi.org/10.1108/OIR-04-2024-0241.
    Abstract
    Purpose: This paper explores information flows in the news media amid ideological polarization, focusing on challenges and opportunities. The case study of Donald Trump’s sneaker line unveiling examines how news agencies navigate objectivity in reporting politically sensitive topics online. It also explores the balance news supply chains must strike between expediency, objectivity and differentiation for diverse audiences.

    Design/methodology/approach: The study conducts qualitative and quantitative content analysis on mainstream media coverage of Donald Trump’s sneaker unveiling. Meticulous coding and inductive approaches systematically review news stories to uncover trends and variations. Incorporating media bias ratings provides context on potential framing biases. This rigorous methodology aims to locate emergent themes in how news outlets interpret and report on politically charged events, offering reliable insights into the dynamics of reporting on contentious narratives.

    Findings: The analysis reveals polarized reactions to Trump’s sneaker unveiling, reflecting societal divisions. Aesthetics underscore manipulative political messaging and ethical dilemmas. Varying press reception mirrors broader tensions across online news media. Coverage suggests a link between media bias and sentiment toward Trump. Theoretical insights explore dynamic capabilities and social identity theory. The study offers practical implications for navigating ideological framing and audience engagement, benefiting news media supply chain professionals.

    Originality/value: This paper provides novel insights into online news supply chains, revealing complexities in reporting politically charged events. It contributes theoretical perspectives on dynamic capabilities and social identity theory and offers practical implications for managing ideological framing in online news media, adding significantly to existing knowledge.